Din Tai Fung: 99 Essential Restaurants 2013

Shanghai-style soup dumplings, or xiao long bao, dot the landscape of the San Gabriel Valley, but if you didn't know any better, you'd think famed dumpling house Din Tai Fung was the only one around. Indeed, arrive on a Sunday morning and you'll see entire families, from babies to grandparents, enduring the formidable wait for a table. You might overhear an impatient cousin suggest going elsewhere, but everyone inevitably stays put, because Grandma knows best: These really are among the best soup dumplings in town. Neither too thick nor too thin, the dumpling wrappers have an admirable resiliency, creating such an airtight seal around the juicy pork and soup filling that you'll rarely, if ever, see anything spilling out. While the xiao long bao is the star, you'd be remiss to not order a few side dishes: the noodles in sesame sauce, say, or the simple but extremely satisfying fried rice. 1108 S. Baldwin Ave. and 1088 S. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia; (626) 574-7068, dintaifungusa.com. Mon.-Fri., 11 a.m.-3 p.m., 5 p.m.-9:30 p.m.; Sat., 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m.; Sun., 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Family-style entrees $5-$15. No alcohol.